But while the Duke of Cambridge was brushing up on his French and a pair of tribal languages, he should have popped in his VHS copy of Canadian legend Wayne Gretzky’s 1986 instructional video, Hockey My Way.

On Tuesday William had a go at street hockey a group of adoring fans in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. He fired three unobstructed wrist shots from about 15 feet away but finished his shift without a goal.

Naturally, 20-year-old goalie Calvin Lomen complimented the Duke, because it would be uncouth to show up royalty.

“He looked like he knew what he was doing. I heard him say he doesn’t know how to play, but it seemed like he had a natural talent if he practiced more.”

Matt Brooks is an assignment editor for Food at The Washington Post. He's an Arlington native and longtime District resident and who previously was a reporter, blogger and editor in the Sports department.